


Time Has Brought Us Here

by HeroismInACan



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/M, Fireworks, Post-Game, Romance, bad dancing, expanding on the ending scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 01:24:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19879306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroismInACan/pseuds/HeroismInACan
Summary: "It felt so long since he could last breathe. Time itself still felt strange to him, having lost himself along the way when they journeyed back to their current setting, but he was here now thanks to her." - Squall/Rinoa. Post-game. Complete.





	Time Has Brought Us Here

Seeing her again after all they’d been through felt like a dream. 

_ Beautiful _ . 

He had no other words. 

It felt so long since he could last breathe. Time itself still felt strange to him, having lost himself along the way when they journeyed back to their current setting, but he was here now thanks to her. 

_ If she hadn’t been there . . . had she not kept searching for me . . . would I have been . . . ? _

A hand on his shoulder pulled him back to the present abruptly, and seeing her face brought a tender smile to his own. 

“Spacing out on me.” Her voice filled him, ensuring that this was real and he was here.  _ With her. _

“Sorry.” He brushed his bangs from his face, turning so he faced her properly. 

Rinoa’s smile grew. “Still getting used to all this, huh? After everything we’ve been through.”

“I’ve been fighting all my life, and searching, so it’s weird, yeah, to just . . . relax, I suppose.” Squall tilted his head at her. “But what about you?”

“I’m fine. You know this. Even after . . .  _ everything _ . And I have you to thank for that.” She reached out, hands resting on his shoulders as she met his gaze. “You saved me countless times. Chased after me when it must have seemed truly hopeless. Cared for me when I couldn’t care for myself.” 

“You were always worth it.” He reached his own hands out, gently gripping her waist and pulling her in closer against him. “You saved me too.”

She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his in a tender embrace, before a loud, and bright, explosion went off and she jolted. 

Fireworks popped in the sky, both heads turning to take in the new view as the world was painted in brief shades of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. 

Squall didn’t stare long, however, turning to admire Rinoa’s profile as the colors danced across her face. It was reminiscent of their first meeting, back when life seemed so simple and they were mere strangers dancing together.  _ How time has changed _ .

Sensing his stare, Rinoa looked at him, one of her shining smiles lighting up her face brighter than the fireworks going off in the background. 

Coming to a decision, Squall kept one hand on her hip and took her other tenderly in his own. He was poor at dancing back then, and he certainly didn’t have time to practice between then and now, but the look on her face when she realized what he was up to was worth the embarrassment. 

Rinoa wrapped her free arm around his neck and gave his other hand a squeeze, moving along with him when he started to move gently from side-to-side. There was no music, just pops and booms from the lights in the sky, but that didn’t stop them. 

To be here with her after everything and not worry about how long they had allowed Squall to relax for the first time. He drank in the sight of her, her smile, her softness, her everything, as they swayed to the silent music of their past. 

If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up, but he knew this wasn't a dream.

He finally found where he belonged, where he was no longer alone but rather loved. 

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by the song "The Musician's Score - 14th Melody" from D.Gray-man (the version sung by Amalee in particular). The lyrics made me think of the game, especially Squall, so I wrote a little piece set at the ending of the game.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for reading!


End file.
